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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · staff · ground · field · hide · nail · pound · content

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. staff — a stick
  3. ground — crushed
  4. scale — size or range
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. ground — a position
  8. content — the amount
  9. field — farmland
  10. pound — a weight
  11. scale — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. staff — employees
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com